


A Familiar Face

by Constant_Questions



Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Smut, Familiars, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Gods, Hurt/Comfort, Kakashi is a witch, M/M, Magic, Naruto Fantasy Week 2020, Old Gods, Sorta slow burn?, Werewolves, Witches, Witches and Familiars, add more tags as I go, cursed magic, no beta we die like men, shy boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:13:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Constant_Questions/pseuds/Constant_Questions
Summary: When Kakashi's familiars die, he loses all hope. But when three familiars show up outside his village, what is he supposed to do? Accepting them into the village is easy. Accepting them into his life? It may be easier than he thinks.Created for Naruto Fantasy Week 2020
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui/Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 9
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to read my story! This is my first Naruto fanfic and I hope you enjoy it.  
> This chapter is for Naruto Fantasy Week Day 1 - Witches and Familiars

Kakashi had locked himself in his cottage. No one had seen him in three days. The villagers left food outside the door for him, but he had yet to take it. He refused to talk to anyone, but that didn’t stop them from trying. No sound was coming from inside the small cottage. But they could all feel that he was still in there. And they were beginning to worry.

By the fifth day, everyone was downright fearful. Was their leader okay? Well, of course not. They knew that well enough. Feeling lost and resentful was normal after one loses their familiar. And to have lost two in one day? No one in the village could fathom that. But to not have eaten anything or spoken to anyone in five days? That was a serious cause for concern.

Asuma decided that he was going to get him to talk, to eat, one way or another. He grabbed a bowl of simple ramen and marched up to Kakashi’s door. Tapping lightly on the door, he spoke softly, a dramatic difference from usual.

“Kakashi, you can’t do this to yourself. You need to eat. They wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.”

No sound came from within. Sighing, Asuma continued.

“I’m not leaving until I see you eat something.”

Kakashi must have heard the determination in Asuma’s voice because there was a soft click of the spell on the door lifting. Asuma entered the dwelling carefully, unsure of what he might find. Though his imagination had run wild about what he might see when he entered the house, it was much worse to actually see it.

Furniture was thrown about and broken. Pictures were torn off the walls, broken glass scattered about. Empty bottles littered the floor. Kakashi was sprawled on the floor in front of his altar on the far wall. The altar itself was in disarray. Kakashi’s grimoire was laid at his feet.

As he walked closer, Asuma saw that the grimoire was open to a barely readable page. There was so much ink on the page, scribbles, words crossed out angrily, other words written in. Only the title was readable: Revival. Asuma paled. Kakashi was trying to find a way to bring them back.

***

Obito had been Kakashi’s familiar since he was 6. Once he turned 13 and realized he would be the next leader of their village, he knew he would need another. It is custom for the leaders to take two or more familiars to help with the challenges that come with leading a coven of witches, especially with the rate of hunters on the rise. The first time Kakashi had met Rin, he knew. Rin pulled to him like a magnet. Obito felt it too. It was an instant fit.

At 16, Kakashi was handed a sect of the coven to rebuild and make his own, as was the tradition for his people. Once the Hokage’s firstborn became 16, they would be separate from the coven. Volunteers would go with them. They would form their own coven and continue the tradition. He kept his people safe, happy, prosperous. For 6 years, everything was good.

Until one day, the hunters had found his coven. They had broken through their wards. Kakashi was able to handle them, but not before they got to Rin and then Obito. The loss sent him in a downward spiral, unintentionally activating his powers and igniting his Chidori. He burnt the hunters to a crisp. In doing so, Obito and Rin were lit aflame too. Kakashi was unable to move as he stared in horror at what he had done. Luckily some others were close by and made it to the scene just in time.

Someone was able to put the flames out before too much damage was caused to their bodies. However, it was blatantly obvious that neither Obito nor Rin had made it out of the fight alive. Kakashi took one look at their burnt bodies and flickered to his cottage where he put a highly secure lock on his door and put up sound barriers across the entire residence.

***

Kakashi knew that there was no way to bring them back. But that didn’t stop him from trying. Potions, spells, you name it and he tried it. Every movement he made caused pain. He didn’t know how to live without them.

The reason witches have familiars is to help stabilize them. They help them come into their powers. Familiars each have their own magic, a very small limited amount of it. They use it to help guide witches, help them perfect their craft. Obito and Rin had always been amazing at helping Kakashi.

Obito had been his friend since he could walk. They were inseparable. When Kakashi came into his powers at the age of 6, Obito had been there. Obito had always known that he would be a familiar, that he would be Kakashi’s familiar. They just had to wait for Kakashi to come into his powers before they could make it official.

Rin had been traveling alone when she happened upon the coven. She was in search of a coven to accept her. As soon as Kakashi had seen her, he knew. Kakashi was 18 at the time.

But now they were gone. He was all alone for the first time in so many years. He didn’t know how to handle himself. What was he supposed to do?

Kakashi knew that he needed help. This is why he let Asuma in after his many days of trying. Kakashi knew that Asuma would help him figure out how to live without his familiars. Asuma’s relationship with Kurenai was one of the strongest in his coven. They would be able to help.

He accepted the food gratefully, eating it without really tasting. Asuma didn’t say anything. He just started to clean up while Kakashi ate. Kakashi watched his friend clean up the disaster he had caused. Once he was finished eating, he straightened up his altar. He put the grimoire back on the table, in the middle. He rightened the candles and the crystals. Lastly, he placed a picture of him with Obito and Rin on the wall above it all.

Once Asuma was finished tidying up, he sat on the floor next to Kakashi. They both just stared at the picture on the wall. After a moment, Asuma spoke.

“You know this wasn’t your fault. You didn’t cause this. What you did do was save your people. Obito and Rin knew the dangers. And they still chose to serve this village. You have to continue as they would want you to.”

Kakashi just nodded, a lone tear falling into his mask. He rubbed his eyes, not allowing any more to fall.

They sat quietly for a moment longer. Then they felt a change in the wards surrounding the coven. Someone from outside the coven had just entered. They had to be a witch or familiar to have entered the wards. Kakashi looked sideways to Asuma then whisked them away to where the wards had been tripped. What they found there shocked them.

A crow and a fox were sitting on the back of a stag. Once they saw Kakashi and Asuma, the crow flew in front of the others, transforming as he landed. Making sure the others were behind him, a black-haired man looked at Kakashi and Asuma. His eyes spun wildly with the sharingan. He was covered in blood, his clothes torn. Kakashi stepped forward cautiously, opening his own eye that held the sharingan.

“What are you doing here? How did you find us?” Kakashi’s voice was rough from not having spoken in so long.

The black-haired man looked at him skeptically. He looked between them, eyes finally settling on Kakashi.

“Our coven was attacked. We were the only ones to make it alive.”

Kakashi felt his blood run cold. The hunters had moved on to a new coven since they weren’t able to get his.

“But how did you find us? Our village is hidden from all detection.” Kakashi was saddened by this man’s tale, but that didn’t stop him from being skeptical.

The other man shook his head. “I don’t know. I flickered us away, searching for somewhere safe. We ended up here.”

Nodding, Kakashi slowly moved towards them. “This is a safe place. Please come with us. We will get you cleaned up and figure out what to do next. Are you able to flicker, or would you rather just walk?”

The black-haired man looked behind him at the other two. “We should probably just walk. We used a lot of our magic already.”

Kakashi nodded. “I am Kakashi, Hokage of this coven. This is Asuma.”

“I’m Shisui. This is Tenzo and Iruka.” As he introduced them, the two others transformed. The fox was Tenzo and the deer was Iruka.

Iruka was in a similar state as Shisui. Tenzo however was being held up by Iruka, his leg having a large gash in it. It looked to have some sort of crude patch over it, stopping the bleeding. Seeing the state of the three of them, Kakashi knew that they shouldn’t be walking.

Kakashi looked back to Asuma who simply nodded. Kakashi waved his hand at him and the man disappeared into a swirl of leaves.

“Asuma is going to get things ready back at the village. I don’t think you three need to be walking through the woods right now. It is nearly two miles to the village. I can flicker us back. It will take a few jumps, but I can get us there much faster.”

As Kakashi approached the three, he felt the pull. The pull of a familiar calling to their witch. It was strong. Dare he say stronger than the pull he felt to Rin or even Obito. He didn’t look at any of them. After making sure they were all touching, he placed his hand on Shisui’s shoulder. Three jumps later and they were outside the medical building. Tsunade was waiting outside for them.

“Please fix them up,” Kakashi said, staring at the ground. He flickered away, not waiting for a response.

He found himself outside the wards of his village. While there was no trace of it, he knew that this was where Rin and Obito had died. Kakashi sat down where he was. He didn’t know why he went here. He just knew he couldn’t be near the newcomers right now.

He wasn’t ready to take on a new familiar. He wasn’t sure if he ever would be. Kakashi knew that he would eventually have to for the safety of his village. While he was no longer a new witch, he still needed help keeping his powers in check. What happened the other day was the perfect example of that.

He was unsure of really how long he sat there, unmoving. The sun had set, risen, and started to set, he knew that much. He heard the gentle ruffling of leaves behind him. Kakashi knew that it had to be one of the three new familiars based on the pull he was feeling. He made no motion of moving or speaking.

Someone sat down next to him. Glancing over, he saw Shisui. They didn’t speak for a long time. Once the sun was set and the moon was high in the sky, Shisui spoke.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet and soft.

Kakashi’s eyebrows furrowed. He looked to the younger man.

“Losing a familiar can devastate anyone.”

Kakashi felt anger course through him. His face darkened instantly. “Who told you?”

Shisui looked out in front of him. “No one. I can feel the devastation of this land. Something terrible happened here. You came to us with another witch, not a familiar. I pieced the rest together. Do you want to talk about it?”

Kakashi settled a bit. He didn’t know how he felt about the familiar knowing what happened. But there was some part of him that wanted to talk to the dark-haired man.

“I don’t even know how it happened,” Kakashi started in a whisper. “We had all been in many fights before. I just remember looking over to them, and they were on the ground. The next thing I knew, everything was burning around me.”

Shisui looked at him with sorrowful eyes. “How long had you been together?”

Kakashi placed his head on his knees and looked back out into the trees. “Obito had been with me for over 16 years. Rin had been with me for around 6.”

Shisui placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder, making the silver-haired man look at him. There was the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

“You know they will never truly be gone. They will always be with you. Even when you choose new familiars, they will not take that space in your heart. No one will be able to. But I think I have a way for you to get some closure that you need.”

With that, Shusui stood up and took a few steps forward. Before Kakashi could move, Shisui’s arms were outstretched wide and he was muttering under his breath. Seconds later, wind began to circle in front of them both, forming a mini tornado of sorts. Once the wind settled, Kakashi jumped to his feet. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. He rubbed at them, blinking furiously. But no, this was real.

Shisui walked back to Kakashi. Smiling, he said, “This is a one-time thing. The chances of being able to contact them like this are very slim. I can hold them here for about ten minutes.”

Then he flickered away. Kakashi knew that he still had to be close for the spell to be working, but he was trying to give them all some privacy. But how was Shisui even able to do magic like this? This was beyond what a familiar could do. Kakashi made a note to ask the man later. But he was wasting his few precious moments right now.

He walked slowly towards the ghosts of his familiars. His eyes watered as he stopped in front of them. Kakashi fell to his knees with his head in his hands. Suddenly there were two sets of arms around him. Kakashi jolted, snapping his head up.

They were no longer ghosts. They were here, they were real. Kakashi tackled them to the ground in a hug, sobbing. “I’m so sorry.”

“Bakashi, there is nothing to be sorry for,” Obito said, uncharacteristically quiet. “What’s done is done. But we will never leave you.”

“We died so that you could live. Worse things are coming. You need to stand tall and protect the village,” Rin said.

Kakashi shook his head forcefully. “I can’t live without you.”

Obito hugged him tightly. “You can and you will. You have a village to think of. They look to you. You must rise and show them you are worthy. You must take new familiars.”

Before Kakashi could interrupt, Rin was already speaking. “Taking new familiars will not mean you are forgetting about us. It will mean that you are realizing your duty as Hokage. Our bond is safe, and it always will be. We will always be here for you. But you need familiars that are still with you.”

Kakashi let those words sink in. They wouldn’t be upset if he took new familiars. They wanted him to. “But who?” he whispered aloud.

Obito smiled brightly. “Those three familiars that appeared yesterday are sure special, are they not?”

Kakashi thought about what Obito was saying. He felt the pull to all three of them, not just Shisui? Kakashi looked at both of them. Both were smiling back, eyes shining.

“If you let them, they can help piece you back together. Your bond with them will be even stronger than it was with us. You have a soul bond with each of them.”

Now Kakashi’s head was reeling. A soul bond? With not just one, but three familiars? It was so rare to find even one. That is why most people just bond with someone who they feel the pull with. Kakashi looked in the distance. He knew that Shisui was sitting up in a tree, far enough to be able to keep the spell going but not hear what was happening.

When he looked back at Obito and Rin, they had started to fade. Kakashi felt panic course through him. No, he wasn’t ready for this. He clutched them both to his chest, willing them to stay.

“Do not worry. We will always be with you. And I think you might find the last page of your book to be quite helpful.”

The three of them hugged as the spell wore off. With a gentle breeze, they were gone. Kakashi sat there, staring at where his friends had just been. He didn’t move until some time later when he felt Shisui behind him.

Standing up and facing the man, Kakashi looked deep into his eyes. “Thank you.”

He was unable to say more. He feared that he would lose himself in his emotions once more. Shisui understood though. He smiled. “Shall we walk back?”

Kakashi nodded. The two walked in silence for a brief moment.

“How are you able to do magic like that?”

Now it was time for Shisui to frown. “I had a bond many years ago. My witch died and his last act was transferring some of his magic to me. I am still figuring out how to use it. That’s why I hang around with Tenzo and Iruka. We balance each other out.”

“So a familiar has a familiar?” Kakashi said with a slight smirk.

Shusui cocked his head to the side. “I guess you’re right. I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

There was another short break in the conversation, both lost in thought. They both just walked side by side through the woods. It wasn’t long until they felt the wards shift as they crossed over.

“Did you get what you needed?”

Kakashi nodded. “Yes. They said I need to take new familiars. They said that I have met my soul bonds.”

Shisui’s eyes sparkled. “No way! That’s so rare. I’m so happy for you. Wait. Bonds? As in more than one?”

The silver-haired man chuckled and nodded. “Yes. I seem to have found three.”

He could practically see the gears in Shisui’s head turn as the pieces fell into place. Shisui stopped walking. His forehead scrunched up in thought. Kakashi couldn’t help but admire how adorable the other man looked.

“You mean…”

“Yes, Shisui. It seems that you and your two familiars are my soul bond familiars. But I don’t think I am ready quite yet to take on new familiars. I need a little more time.”

Shisui nodded, slowly. He was only half in the conversation. Kakashi smiled, shaking his head, and continued walking. He made it about ten paces before Shisui ran up behind him.

“Does that mean we get to stay?” Shisui asked quietly.

Now Kakashi stopped walking. He turned to face Shisui, making sure the other man looked him in the eyes. “Shisui, the moment I took you back to the village, you were all three welcome to stay here. My village will accept the three of you with open arms.”

Shisui was hugging him. Kakashi didn’t even see the other man move. He hugged him back hesitantly.

“Take all the time you need, Kakashi. We will be here waiting for you when you are ready.”

Kakashi felt warmth flow through his body. It wasn’t the heat of a spell coursing through him. No, this was something else.

They finished the walk back to the village in peaceful quietness.

***

In the next few weeks, Kakashi helped the three familiars get settled. He gave them each a room in his house. He had the largest house in the village. He had many extra bedrooms, most of which were used when they had guests. But since those were few and far between, they mostly sat empty.

He showed them around the small village and introduced them to everyone. They seemed to fit in just fine. It was refreshing to know that his people were so accepting of these new  
people.

The four of them had been spending time together, getting to know each other. No one spoke of them all being soul bonds. But Kakashi got the distinct feeling that Shisui had told the other two men. When they thought he wasn’t looking, Kakashi would catch them looking at him and smiling.

Overall, Kakashi was enjoying his time with the three familiars. They were such opposites that it confused him at first. But as Shisui said, they balance each other out.

They very quickly became comfortable with each other. But Kakashi was still thrown off by the fact that Iruka had asked him to remove his mask. No one had ever asked him that before, not even Obito. He could tell the three familiars were just curious. He trusted them, and soon he was forgoing the mask all together when it was just the four of them at home.

Kakashi also couldn’t hide the fact that he was feeling other things about the others as well. It wasn’t unusual for witches and their familiars to end up in romantic relationships together. But Kakashi had not personally experienced it. He couldn’t help but wonder if the others felt it too.

Kakashi decided to spend some time with each of them individually to try and figure it out. Over the past few days, he had learned a lot about each of them. He decided to take them each on a date of sort. He, of course, didn’t call it that, just in case. He decided to take Iruka first.

***

“Where are we going, Kashi?” Iruka asked for no less than the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

Kakashi laughed at the other man who was practically bouncing as they walked down the small path. “You’ll just have to wait and see, Ruka.”

The two walked for a few more minutes until the path just ended. Iruka stared at the ground where the dirt ended a few feet from two huge oak trees. He looked to Kakashi, who just had a huge smile on his face.

Kakashi stood between the two trees, forming a series of hand signs. Once he finished, he placed his hand on the ground. A dark wood door appeared between the two trees with a brass handle.

“Kashi, what is this?” Iruka sounded breathless as he took in the intricate carvings on the door.

Kakashi leaned close, whispering in his ear. “Why don’t you find out?”

Iruka nodded, twisting the handle of the door. Pushing the door open, it was pitch black inside. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kakashi nodding encouragingly at him. Iruka stepped through the door.

As soon as his foot crossed the threshold, a candle lit. As he took another step, another candle lit. He followed the candles down the small hallway. He knew Kakashi was right behind him, could hear his footsteps. Once he made it to the end of the hallway and walked into the main room, candlelight erupted. Everywhere.

In front of him, Iruka saw the largest library he had ever seen. There were three floors with stairs and hallways leading in every direction. He couldn’t see any of the other walls. It seemed endless. He couldn’t help the joyous laughter the bubbled out of his lungs. He had never seen so many books in his life.

There were chandeliers, sconces, lanterns, and torches everywhere lighting the building. There were no windows, but you didn’t need them with how many candles there were.

Kakashi walked beside Iruka. While Iruka was looking at the books, Kakashi was busy looking at the smaller man. Kakashi couldn’t help the smile that took over his face watching Iruka overtaken by such happiness.

“This is my family’s library. Centuries of Hokages have added their books to this collection. Even as we split covens, we keep access to it.”

“It’s amazing.”

Kakashi knew how much the brown-eyed man loved books. He knew he would enjoy the library. That’s also why he didn’t just bring him here to show him.

“You have been added to the wards. You may now come and go as you please. You just need to place your hand on the ground at the portal.”

Iruka’s jaw dropped. He was in disbelief. He could come here whenever he pleased? This was the best gift he had ever received. He rushed to Kakashi, capturing the man in a hug.

“Thank you so much, Kakashi.”

Before Kakashi could answer, Iruka did something that surprised them both. He pressed his lips to Kakashi’s in a passionate kiss. After the initial shock wore off, Kakashi wrapped his arms around Iruka tightly, returning this kiss. When they broke away, Iruka backed away blushing profusely. He rubbed at the scar on his nose, glancing at Kakashi.

Kakashi grinned back at him. Iruka’s stomach did a flop and he ran off to get lost in the stacks of books. Kakashi let out a bellowing laugh.

Kakashi eventually got Iruka to stop being embarrassed. He showed him how the books were organized. He showed him the catalog book that was enchanted. All you had to do was write the title of a book, an author’s name, or a topic in the ledger and it would tell you where to find said item. Kakashi even showed Iruka the wing that held all the family porturates. There were hundreds of paintings. Walking to the end of the hall, Kakashi showed him his painting, next to his parents. It was customary in their family to have their paintings done with their familiars.

Kakashi’s painting was of him, Obito, and Rin. Iruka didn’t comment on the others in the picture. He just said that Kakashi looked like a strong leader, like his ancestors before him. Kakashi was thankful the other man didn’t bring up his past familiars.

He smiled at the painting, knowing Obito and Rin were looking down at him. He smiled more, knowing he would get a new painting done once he took his new familiars, as was also customary.

Iruka and Kakashi sat in the main area reading for what seemed like hours. In all fairness, it probably was hours. There were no clocks in the library and with no windows, it was hard to tell the time. Kakashi sat with Iruka’s legs draped across him as they sat on the small couch.

Kakashi shut his book with a loud clap. Iruka glanced up over the pages of the book he was reading.

“Everything alright?”

Kakashi didn’t answer. Instead, he continued staring down at Iruka.

Iruka shut his book, laying it on his chest. “Kashi?”

Kakashi leaned down, capturing Iruka’s lips in a searing kiss. His hand traced up the man’s side until he cupped his cheek. Iruka gasped at the sudden movement and Kakashi’s tongue dove into the other his mouth.

Books forgotten, the two continued to kiss for a long while. Eventually, they pulled away, gasping for breath. Kakashi ran his thumb over Iruka’s blush stained cheek. He stared down at the other man with so much emotion in his eyes.

“I like you, Iruka,” Kakashi said simply.

Iruka’s face lit up. “I like you too, Kakashi.”

As soon as the words left his lips, his face fell. It was for barely a second, but Kakashi still caught it. He ran his thumb over Iruka’s cheek again, bringing his eyes back to meet his own.

“What’s wrong?”

Iruka didn’t say anything for a long moment. He appeared to be having a battle inside himself.

“Ruka, you know you can tell me.”

Taking a deep breath, Iruka spoke in one fast breath. “I like you, but I’m also with Tenzo and Shisui.”

It took Kakashi a few seconds to process the garbled up sentence. Iruka was with Shisui and Tenzo. Well, that explained a lot actually.

Kakashi sat back, thinking it over. It made a lot of sense. While they weren’t overly affectionate in front of him, they did cuddle on the couch a lot. On more than one occasion, Kakashi has caught one of them sneaking out of another’s room early in the morning. They had all just pretended that nothing happened.

Thinking that Kakashi was upset, Iruka sat up, taking his hands in his own.

“We aren’t exclusive, not really. So you didn’t do anything wrong. I just thought you should know. We try to keep it to ourselves. Not everyone is accepting of it.” Iruka spoke in a small voice.

Kakashi looked over at the brown-eyed man fondly.

“I don’t care that you are with them, Iruka. I was trying to figure out how I didn’t see it before. It’s glaringly obvious now. I’m happy for the three of you.”

Iruka perked up at that. “So you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. As long as they don’t mind sharing with me as well. I mean, if you want to.” Kakashi trailed off, suddenly feeling unsure of himself.

Why was this so hard? He had told him how he felt already and they had even kissed! Why was he so nervous all of a sudden.

Iruka giggled and kissed Kakashi’s nose. “I don’t mind. And neither will they.”

Iruka smiled, knowingly. The others wouldn’t mind. He was sure of it. They wouldn't be jealous.

Kakashi and Iruka spent a while longer kissing and laughing before heading back to the village. They walked hand in hand. Walking straight home, they found the other two familiars sitting on the couch, reading. Both looked up when they entered.

Shisui grinned like the cat that caught the canary. Tenzo’s gaze zeroed in on their hands, not saying anything.

“So how was your date?” Shisui teased.

Iruka blushed a deep red that ran down below the collar of his shirt. Then he moved in between the other two boys. He spoke vividly about the library. Telling them all about the vast stacks of books, the enchanted ledger, the wing of paintings, the chandeliers.

“And I can go there anytime I want!” Iruka finished happily.

The other two smiled fondly at the other boy. It was easy to see that they weren’t jealous and were in fact almost relieved? Kakashi couldn’t figure it out.

***

A few days later, it was Tenzo’s turn. Kakashi had just the place. He had asked if he could have the place to himself for the afternoon and the owner had no problem with it. He handed the keys over with no hesitation.

Kakashi gathered Tenzo at noon. He practically dragged him through the village with a huge smile on his face. Tenzo couldn’t help but laugh along with him. They stopped suddenly outside of a plain building.

Unlocking the door, Kakashi pushed Tenzo in. Tenzo took one glance and knew exactly where they were. This was the woodworker’s shop.

He spun to face Kakashi. “What are we doing here, senpai?”

Kakashi still chuckled at the nickname. But no matter what he said, Tenzo continued. So Kakashi had taken to calling him kohai.

“Well my dear kohai, I have noticed how much you enjoy the woodworkings of the house. I decided that you needed some of your own.” Kakashi gestured to the expanse of the shop. “It is ours for the afternoon.”

Kakashi wasn’t quite prepared for the enthusiasm that Tenzo expressed. Up until this point he had been rather reserved with showing his feelings. But not now.

Tenzo quickly assessed what he had to work with. He deduced that he would be able to make a nice bookshelf. But that would be too easy. Oh, no. This bookshelf would have hidden compartments and runes that when certain objects were placed on them, different things would happen.

Kakashi was happy to help, even though Tenzo didn’t seem like he needed it. Eventually, Kakashi just sat down and watched the younger man work. He was beautiful. So elegant. Tenzo was completely at ease here. He worked with such efficiency.

Once the bookshelf was constructed, Kakashi helped Tenzo stain it. They decided on a dark almost black color. They were just finishing up when the shop owner came in.

“Sorry to interrupt, Hokage. I just forgot something in the back,” the man said, hurrying to the back of the shop.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the bookshelf. He walked up and inspected it. Kakashi was quite proud of the work Tenzo put in.

The sides and front of the shelves had intricate carvings that Tenzo had spent almost three hours doing by hand. Because of the staining, all of the hidden compartments were open. Each having a small hinge hidden on the inside to allow it to open. When closed, it was hard to see them even if you knew what you were looking for. There were various runes on different shelves, expertly carved. Each rune had been painted a deep red to help it stand out a bit better.

The woodworker admired the shelf for a long moment. “You did this? All today?” He looked between the two men.

Kakashi shook his head, smiling broadly. “It was all Tenzo. I just helped stain it a bit.”

Tenzo blushed at the attention.

“Well young sir, you are welcome in my shop any time. If you are ever looking for a job, you have one here.”

With that, the shopkeeper walked to the back, grabbed a small wooden box, and left. Kakashi was overjoyed. He was thrilled that Tenzo got the recognition he deserved.

After making sure the shelves were dry, Kakashi flickered them home. Tenzo decided to put the bookcase in his room by the window. Tenzo had gathered a few books from shops around the village, but not nearly enough to fill the shelves. Kakashi made a mental note to buy him some more. For now, Tenzo filled the empty space with other trinkets.

They stepped back to admire their handy work. Kakashi put an arm around Tenzo’s shoulders. Tenzo leaned happily into the embrace.

“Thank you, senpai.”

“Of course, kohai. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

Tenzo nodded. “There’s only one thing that could have made it better.”

Kakashi’s eyebrows furrowed. “And what would that be?”

Tenzo turned to face him. Standing on his tiptoes, he leaned up and gave Kakashi a chaste kiss. He backed up, blushing deeply and not making eye contact.

Kakashi took a big step forward, closing the distance between them. He moved so his hands were cupping Tenzo’s chin, pulling his face to his. He placed his lips softly on Tenzo’s allowing the other man to make the next move.

Tenzo wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck pulling the other to him so they were flush against each other. Their kiss wasn’t as needy as it was with Iruka, but it was in no way less passionate.

They spent a few minutes kissing like this before they moved to the living room downstairs. The others were out so they just lounged on the couch, talking. When Shisui and Iruka arrived home, they were curled up together, sleeping. Tenzo popped an eye open as they walked by. Just long enough to see the other two smiling. He fell back asleep smiling as well as Kakashi shifted below him.

***

Days passed and Shisui was beginning to wonder if Kakashi didn’t want to go on a date with him. He had been spending time with the other two. A few times, he had even walked in on him kissing one of the others. It hurt his heart, but if that’s the way it was going to be, then so be it.

He went straight to his room after dinner, not talking to anyone. He would get over it. It would just take time. He knew he still had Tenzo and Iruka. But they also had Kakashi. He went to bed early that night.

Shisui woke up when he felt someone sit down on his bed. He assumed it was Tenzo or Iruka so he didn’t move, closing his eyes to go back to sleep. When the person didn’t lay down, Shisui looked over his shoulder. A singular red eye stared back at him. He sat straight up.

“Kakashi. Is everything okay?”

Kakashi nodded. “Get dressed. Something warm.”  
He walked out of the room. Shisui stared at the door for a moment. Trying to decide if he was dreaming or not. But no, he heard Kakashi moving in the living room. He dressed quickly, grabbing a sweater on his way out the door.

The front door was cracked open. Shisui put his shoes on and walked out, closing the door behind him. Kakashi was standing a few feet into the front yard, staring at the moon. It was a full moon and it lit up everything as well as any candle. Shisui walked up beside him. Kakashi reached down and grabbed his hand. Shisui looked at their hands then up at Kakashi. The silver-haired man smiled.

Then they flickered. They were in the middle of the village. Then they were on the outskirts of the village. Then they were somewhere in the woods. Then they were at the stream that ran to the south of the village. Then they were standing among a bunch of towering rocks. Shisui was giggling with how fast they were moving. Flicker after flicker, Kakashi moved them so fast Shisui barely had time to register what he was seeing before they moved on. An empty field, a pond, a cave, a large river, Shisui had never seen these places before. Kakashi finally stopped. They were overlooking the village from a cliff high up the mountain behind it.

Turning around, Shisui saw a blanket had been set out. Candles were placed randomly around the clearing, illuminating the area. Shisui also spied a basket sitting on the blanket. Tugging on his hand, Kakashi led them to the blanket where they plopped down.

“What is all of this?” Shisui mumbled.

“Each place I just took you is where you can find me if I’m not around. It’s easier to flicker to places you have been before. You have now seen all of my hiding spots. All of the places I go to be alone, all of the places important to me.”

Shisui stared in awe, shocked into silence.

“And this,” Kakashi motioned to the area around them. “This is your night. I’m sorry it took so long. I wanted it to be perfect and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do.”

The dark-haired man looked down. “I- I thought you didn’t like me like the others.”

Kakashi scooted closer to him. He placed a hand on Shisui’s cheek, forcing him to look at him. Kakashi saw red eyes staring back. Looking deep into those eyes, Kakashi saw hurt. He needed to fix that. Now.

In true Kakashi fashion, he did so without words. He slowly leaned into Shisui, never breaking eye contact. Shisui’s breath hitched as he realized what was happening. Kakashi gently placed his lips on Shisui’s, molding them together like they were made for each other.

Shisui kissed him back eagerly. Kakashi brought his other hand to Shisui’s other cheek, now caging his face in. Shisui threaded his hands into Kakashi’s hair, pulling the older man closer to him. Kakashi groaned in the back of his throat at the feeling. He could feel Shisui smirk against his lips. Kakashi retaliated by nipping at Shisui’s bottom lip. Shisui let out a delightful little squeal.

Kakashi couldn’t help but do it again. This caused Shisui to pull Kakashi’s hair some more. On and on this went, until the two broke apart, laughing. Kakashi pulled him in for a quick peck and then turned to the basket.

He pulled out two glasses, a bottle of sake, and homemade cookies. He offered a cookie to Shisui with a sheepish look.

“Iruka told me they were your favorite.”

Shisui took a bite and moaned quietly “Did you make these? They are amazing.”

Kakashi blushed, nodding.

The two sat staring over the village. They finished the cookies and sake. Shisui was sitting between Kakashi’s legs leaning back on his chest when the sun came up. Kakashi leaned in to kiss his cheek. Shisui giggled.

They decided to walk back to the village. As they re-entered the wards, Shisui squeezed Kakashi’s hand.

“I can’t wait to be your familiar.”

Kakashi would count this as a successful date. This made three successful dates with his three soul familiars.

***

Things continued like this. Everyone was a little more open with their affection, not feeling the need to hide it any longer. While they never voiced it, all four men were secretly thankful that the others were so understanding and accepting. They also silently agreed to all be exclusive together, no longer feeling the urge to have other’s company in this manner.

A few weeks later, Kakashi couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Kakashi remembered Rin’s warning. He couldn’t wait any longer to make the bonds official. But was he ready? Looking at the three of them laughing on the couch, he realized that yes, he was ready. He had been for a few weeks.  
He walked into the living room and sat on the couch in front of them. Sensing his serious demeanor, they stopped laughing and faced him. Kakashi smiled and looked at Shisui. Shisui broke into the largest smile that Kakashi had ever seen. Shisui knew it was finally time.

“As I’m sure you are all aware by now,” Kakashi gave a pointed look at Shisui while smirking, “the three of you have a soul bond with me.”

He could practically see the three of them vibrating on the couch.

“Does this mean you are ready?” Shisui asked hopefully, trying to confirm his thoughts.

Kakashi nodded. “Yes, I am. I am ready to form the bond with all of you. If and only if that is what you want as well. If any of you don’t want to be my familiar, that is fine. Nothing else will change.”

Shocking them all, Tenzo was the first to answer. “I knew as soon as I saw you that you would be my witch. I want to form a bond with you.”

Tenzo’s voice held a determination that Kakashi hadn’t heard before. It made him smile. Iruka spoke next.

“I, too, want to form a bond with you, Kashi. You have shown us such kindness here. I can’t wait to be your familiar.”

Kakashi’s smile grew. He looked to Shisui.

“You already know my answer. So when do we do this? What are your traditions?”

Kakashi’s heart felt so happy. All three of them wanted to be his familiar. This was a dream come true.

Each coven had their traditions for witches accepting new familiars. Kakashi had always let it be up to the individuals whether they wanted a public or private ceremony. But regardless, the ceremony itself was the same.

“We can do it tonight if you want. In my coven, I leave it up to those involved how they want to do it. I figured we could do a private ceremony here tonight. We just have to have someone witness it.”

The three familiars nodded. They were excited to finally be forging the bond with their soul witch.

“Why don’t you ask Asuma?” Iruka asked.

The others quickly agreed. Kakashi was so happy that they wanted his friend to be there for this.

***

They gathered after sundown. Kakashi had gone over what was going to happen and what was expected of them. Compared to come coven traditions, his was easy.

Each familiar was dressed in all white. Kakashi was dressed in all black. Asuma and Kurenai were dressed in grey since they were already bonded. Kakashi stood with his back to his altar with the three familiars standing in front of him.

The ceremony was simple.

Kakashi made a shallow cut along his palm then handed the dagger to Tenzo who was first in line. Tenzo did the same before passing the blade to Iruka then to Shisui.

Kakashi faced Tenzo. “I undertake this path of my own free will and for the good of myself, of my witch, of the coven. I will follow the village law. Do as thou wilt but harm ye none. I do not seek powers over others but aim to increase my own knowledge, self-awareness, and happiness through this bond. I cast no spell against another’s wishes or their best interests. I embrace the Law of Threefold Return - what I cast into the universe will return to me three times as powerful. I will attempt to gain a true and deep understanding of my witch to help guide them with their craft. I thank Kami for this path and promise to uphold the traditions to the best of my ability. With a Familiar heart. With a witch’s might. I swear an oath of love and light. To honor and protect my witch and their coven. With all my worth to abide by the law of karma times three with no harm done to none or me. This truth I am.”

Kakashi paused when necessary to allow Tenzo to repeat the oath back to him. He spoke firmly, with a seriousness the others had not seen in him. As Tenzo said the last words, Kakashi grabbed his hand in his, placing the cuts together. Asuma placed a red ribbon around their hands, tying them together but leaving the ends dangling.

By not tying the ends together, this meant there were more familiars to be added during this ceremony. As Asuma stepped back, Tenzo and Kakashi closed their eyes, feeling the bond spread between them. Tenzo’s clothes turned a light grey as Kakashi’s turned a dark grey.

Kakashi repeated the oath with the other two familiars. Each time, his clothes got lighter until all four of them wore the same color of grey, signifying they were all tethered together.

They all had large goofy smiles on their faces. There was only one step left.

At the same time, the three familiars turned into their animal sides. There was a fox, a deer, and a crow standing in front of Kakashi. He placed his hand on each of them in turn, sending a small amount of his magic into them. It wasn’t enough to do anything other than align their systems to his signature.

Now they would be able to identify his magic without having to see him.

Kakashi was now bonded with his soul familiars.

And he couldn’t be happier.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi was right in assuming something bad was coming, but he was wrong about what it would be. When one of his closest friends is attacked by a creature that shouldn't be near his village, he and his familiars find themselves hunting it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update! Two updates in two days... I wonder how long I can keep up with daily updates.
> 
> Also, enjoy some slight smut. It's not much, but hey I tried.

Mythical, Monstrous - Day Two

While Kakashi was right in his feeling that something bad was coming, it wasn’t what he thought it would be. 

It had been four days since Kakashi and the others had formed their bond. They had decided to celebrate by not leaving the house. It was Kakashi’s idea, of course. Kakashi had decided to take the next week to relax with his familiars. So far, they had been mostly lazy, just reading on the couch or cuddling up with each other. They learned more about each other, like the fact that Shisui had moved to Tenzo and Iruka’s coven only two years earlier. 

Kakashi also learned more about each of them as romantic partners. He learned that Shisui is a very tactile person; he loved to be touching Kakashi or one of the others. Even the smallest of touches made him happy. Tenzo was a very quiet person, which Kakashi already knew, but he learned that once you got him talking it was hard to get him to stop. Kakashi found it simply endearing and on more than one occasion couldn’t help kissing the other man, effectively cutting him off. Iruka loved teaching, no matter what it was. He also loved to reward the others with kisses when they paid attention to what he was showing them. 

They had also been practicing helping Kakashi to control his magic. Because Kakashi wasn’t a new witch and had had familiars before, he was fairly good at controlling his craft. But with the soul bonds, it took things to a whole new level.

Tenzo was teaching Kakashi more about the timing of his spells. He knew how to be patient, assessing everything to make sure to use the right magic. Shisui was all about speed. He showed Kakashi how to increase his magic use by decreasing the time it took him to cast the spell. Iruka spent his time teaching Kakashi new hand gestures to combine some of the simpler ones. He also taught Kakashi runes that came from different covens. And of course, they all worked with Shisui to help hone his craft as well.

They had spent the day helping Shisui get used to calling different magics and using them. Currently, they were all piled on top of Kakashi’s bed. He wanted to spend as much time with his familiars as possible before he had to return to normal Hokage life. But of course, things rarely went as planned. 

Asuma flickered into the room, bloody and out of breath. Kakashi shot up, tossing a very confused Iruka onto Shisui. 

“Gai,” was all Asuma had to say. 

Kakashi flickered to Asuma’s side and then they were both gone leaving three very confused familiars sitting on the bed 

Asuma flickered them to the lower level of the medical building. Not many buildings in the village had levels that went below the ground. The medical building was one of the few. It was also the most necessary. This was where Tsunade treated those who were infected by other magical creatures. It served as a sort of quarantine area until the creature could be determined. 

All of the blood in Kakashi’s body immediately went cold as he took in the sight in front of him. Medical personnel were rushing around seemingly in a panic. Tsunade and Shizune were trying to hold a writhing Gai to the bed. Blood covered all three of them to the point Kakashi couldn’t see who or where it was coming from. 

“Get me that damn tranq!” Tsunade screamed, not taking her focus off Gai.

A small witch appeared at her side with a vial of a blue substance in it. Ripping the cork out with her teeth, Tsunade forced the liquid past Gai’s lips. Seconds later, Gai’s thrashing started to settled until he stopped moving altogether. 

The room stilled for the length of a deep breath. Then all at once, everyone was moving again. Tsunade began searching for the cause of all the blood while Shizune strapped Gai’s arms and legs to the bed. Kakashi couldn’t move. His feet felt like they had sunk into the mud, holding him hostage. 

“Damn it! Damn it all to hell,” Tsunade exclaimed as she looked at Gai’s shoulder. 

She brushed her hair back from her face with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of blood. While she gathered her thoughts, she caught sight of Kakashi. Her face was grim. Kakashi knew the prognosis wasn’t going to be good. 

Kakashi was finally able to move. He stopped a few feet from the table, eyes rapidly moving from Tsunade to Gai and back again. His mouth opened and shut, not knowing what to say. 

“It doesn’t look good, Kakashi. He was bitten by a damn werewolf.”

All Kakashi heard was ringing in his ears. This couldn’t be. There weren’t even werewolves in this part of the country. That’s why he chose to settle here. How did this even happen? 

“You know as well as I do that it’s up to him now,” Tsunade said looking down at Gai.

If his body fought, he could make it through the transformation. If he made it, he would be a werewolf, but at least he would be alive. If his body rejected the transformation, he would die. It could be anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days to see if he would make it. And from the looks how the state he was in now, it didn’t look good. 

In the meantime, Kakashi knew what needed to be done. Once a werewolf got a taste of human blood, it wouldn’t stop. It needed to be put down. 

Kakashi met Tsunade’s eye. She could see the killing intent there. Kakashi saw the barely noticeable nod that she gave him. He stormed out of the medical building with Asuma on his heels. Asuma was smart enough to not try to stop him. 

Marching straight into the Hokage building, Kakashi went to his office. Walking to an empty space on the wall, he opened a hidden door. Walking down the narrow passage of stairs, he heard footsteps following him. It wasn’t Asuma. He knew better than to come down here. This area was only for Hokages and their familiars. Ah. Shisui must have flickered them to his office and Asuma showed them here. 

The didn’t talk to him, even though he was sure they were all bursting with questions. They just followed silently behind him. The only reason he knew they were there was he felt the pull behind him and the soft sounds of their feet hitting the stone.

Finally making it to the bottom of the stairs, he waved his hand in the air and candles lit throughout the room. Kakashi stalked over to a large wardrobe. Ripping the doors open, he found what he was searching for. 

Mosting without pause, Kakashi started to layer his body in thick yet moveable armor. He glanced behind him as he strapped the chest plate in place. He found all three familiars staring at him with intense gazes. 

Iruka looked concerned. Tenzo looked apprehensive. And Shisui. Shisui looked determined. He walked forward, holding out his hands. He recognized this type of armor. He knew what they were doing. Kakashi met his stare his Sharingan fixating on Shisui’s. Then he handed him his armor which Shisui slid on with no hesitation. The other two stepped up and began putting on their own. 

While the others finished strapping on their armor, Kakashi and Shisui stepped over to another armoire. The inside was filled with every type of weapon imaginable. Kakashi started extracting small vials of a slightly silvery liquid while Shisui removed several silver blades. 

Kakashi handed each familiar two vials and placed the rest in the pouch strapped to his thigh. He also placed several blades in there as well. After making sure everyone was well equipped, Kakashi walked to a third wardrobe. 

Inside this one, were four porcelain masks. Kakashi passed the one resembling a crow to Shisui. Then handed the fox on to Tenzo. Iruka received a stag shaped one. He took the last one off the shelf; a hound. These masks were important to their safety. They would help keep claws and fangs away from their face as well as any fluids that might infect them. Placing the masks over their faces, Kakashi looked at each of them.

On the inside, he was trembling. What if this ended like the last fight? He had just gotten them; he couldn’t lose them. While he had a mask covering his expressions, Shisui still knew what he was feeling. He placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. 

Right. It didn’t matter how he felt about this. It still had to be done. For the good of his village. There was a threat and it needed to be taken care of. Kakashi walked up the stairs, back into his office The others followed behind him. 

“Shisui, what’s going on?” Kakashi heard Iruka after softly. 

“We are going hunting. There’s a werewolf nearby.” Shisui answered but as quietly. 

“But how do you know that?” Tenzo spoke this time. 

Kakashi was also curious about how the crow familiar knew what they were hunting. Shisui was quiet for a moment. Kakashi had almost thought he wasn’t going to answer. 

“I recognize the armor, the weapons, the masks. I was hunting one with my last witch when he died.” 

Kakashi stopped walking so suddenly Shisui collided into his back. He whirled around, grabbing Shisui by the shoulders. 

“Shisui. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to go.” Kakashi stared into his red swirling eyes. And those eyes stared right back. 

Determination filled Shisui. “Yes. I do. I wasn’t able to protect Itachi. But I’ll be damned if I don’t protect this village.” 

Kakashi could see there was no use in arguing with the other man. He sighed, nodding. 

“There’s a storm rolling in. The wolf will want to find shelter to ride it out. There are several caves nearby we can check out.” 

The familiars all nodded. Shisui and Iruka each placed a hand on one of Kakashi’s shoulders. Tenzo placed a hand on both Iruka and Shisui. Kakashi flickered them to the base of the mountain. He formed the hand movements to block out the sound of their footsteps.

Kakashi split them into two teams: Iruka and himself, and Shisui and Tenzo. He gave the explicit order to not engage if they should find the beast. But instead to retreat to a safe location and signal the other team via the stones that Tenzo had carved runes in. Both teams split off. They hoped to have this finished before the storm got too heavy. 

Kakashi and Iruka finished checking their third cave. They had yet to find anything. As they exited the cave, lightning flashed across the sky closely followed by a large rolling thunder. Then the rain started pouring down. Kakashi sighed. 

“I wonder how the others are doing,” he thought out loud. 

They ran to the next cave, hoping to finally find the damn werewolf. As they stepped out of the rain, the stones in their pockets started to glow. Pulling it out, Kakashi realized that the stone was glowing red, not green as it was supposed to. They had activated the emergency code. Shit. Kakashi looked at Iruka, fear running through his blood. Iruka grabbed onto him tightly and Kakashi flickered them to their last cave entrance. 

It wasn’t hard to know that Tenzo and Shisui were in the cave. Even over the sound of the storm behind them, Kakashi and Iruka could hear the sounds of a fight. The beast let out a guttural sound that shook the ground. 

Kakashi took off sprinting towards the sound with Iruka with behind him. He’s not sure what he expected when they finally got to the other two men. But it sure wasn’t what he saw. 

Tenzo was slumped on the ground with a set of four slash marks across his chest, blood pouring out. Kakashi’s breath hitched in his throat. But Tenzo managed to get to his feet, slapping what appeared to be a piece of paper over the wounds. He drew two more blades. As he took a step forward, he stumbled back to the ground, almost unconscious. Iruka was by his side in an instant, helping him out of the way. Iruka glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi understood. Even with the medical patch that Tenzo had placed, he was still losing too much blood. Kakashi waved his hand and they flickered away.

Shisui had been facing the beast on his own while Tenzo regained himself. He had several cuts across his body but nothing that looked too major. He too had chosen to wield a blade in each hand. And he sure knew how to use them. Kakashi could barely keep up with his movements, and that was with his Sharingan activated. The werewolf swiped at Shisui, causing him to jump back. 

Kakashi didn’t hesitate. He was immediately behind the beast, digging the blades into its back. But the hide was thick. It would take more than that to get this creature to go down. As the beast turned to face Kakashi, Shisui swiped at it from behind. 

They continued to make the wolf chase them, wearing it out. Once it was tired, they had the best chance of finishing this. Which they both desperately wanted to do. Kakashi was worried about Tenzo. He wanted to know if the fox familiar was okay. 

The werewolf saw his distraction and swiped at him, aiming for the throat. Luckily Kakashi dodged at the last second taking the claws to his shoulder instead. He barely registered the pain. He blocked out all thoughts that weren’t taking this monster down. 

Kakashi reached into his pouch, retrieving a vial. He threw it at the beast. It broke on its shoulder. The silver dripped down its flesh and he let out a cry. Shisui faked left, then moved right, causing the animal to stumble. While the animal was collecting itself, Kakashi threw two more vials. The werewolf fell to the ground. Shisui was stabbing into the heart before the body was even done falling. It was dead. It was over. 

Shisui stumbled. Kakashi caught him as he started to fall. Looking at his wounds up close, Kakashi saw that some of them were more serious than he originally thought.

“I’m okay, Kashi. Just drained from using the Sharingan so much.” 

Checking to make sure that the werewolf was dead one last time, Kakashi then moved back to Shisui. He flickered them so they were in the lower level of the medical building. 

Glancing around to find Iruka and Tenzo, he found them on a bed across from Gai. Tenzo was shirtless with a huge bandage wrapped around his chest. He seemed to be waking up. Iruka was laying in bed with him, his arms around the other man. Gai looked to be doing better. He was still restrained but seemed to be conscious and at least somewhat coherent. Asuma looked like he hadn’t left his side all day. Tsunade looked up at their entrance. She seemed to be waiting for them.

She moved to an empty bed next to Tenzo. Kakashi followed her over. He helped Shisui onto the bed. Tsunade’s hands glowed green as she used her magic to examine the extent of Shisui’s injuries. 

“This one is in much better shape than the other,” she said matter of factly. 

Kakashi moved to stand in between the beds, facing Tenzo. 

“Hey, kohai. How are you feeling?” Kakashi asked, running his hands through Tenzo’s hair. 

Tenzo was fully awake now. “Senpai. I’m sorry.”

Kakashi ran his hand from his hair down to cup his cheek. Leaning in to kiss his forehead, he said, “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Tenz. I’m just relieved you are okay.” He paused, looking at Tsunade. “He is going to be okay, isn’t he?” 

“Yes. He will be fine. He was touch and go for a while, but we were able to stabilize him and transfused some blood. Now he just needs to take it easy for the next few days. No transforming, no magic.” 

Tenzo grimaced but nodded. Kakashi paled, thoughts consumed with how close he came to losing another familiar. 

After finishing patching Shisui up, it was Kakashi’s turn. The werewolf had caught him with three claws that ran pretty deep. Tsunade put a few stitches in and bandaged him up similarly to Tenzo.

“It seems Iruka was the only smart one here and as such, he’s the only one who gets to use magic for the next week. The rest of you, come see me in a week to remove your stitches. They are magic infused and will accelerate the healing process.” She then turned and walked into her office. 

Kakashi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. They were okay. Everything was okay. A small smile graced his lips. A wet sounding cough came from Gai. The smile slid from Kakashi’s face. Almost everything was okay. 

Kakashi walked slowly over to Gai. Standing at his side, Kakashi grasped his hand. Gai squeezed back. That was a good sign. 

“Is it dead?” Gai spoke in a raspy voice. 

“Yes. It is. Shisui and I killed it. Now we just need you to make it through this transformation. Ya hear me? I don’t have the time or energy to find a new rival. So you need to make it through this.” 

Gai tried to laugh but ended up coughing. “My greatest rival, have no fear. I will pull through this. And once I do, I may have a fighting chance at beating you.” 

Kakashi pat his hand and turned to Asuma. “Let me know if he changes.” Then walked back over to his familiars. They looked ready to go home. 

The walk to their cottage was slow and wet. Damn this stupid storm. It didn’t seem it was going to let up for a while. Once they were home, Kakashi helped everyone change into dry clothes and Shisui helped him. 

Kakashi heated some soup and they all ate a small dinner before going to bed. They decided that because everyone was so injured it would be best to sleep in their own beds. This was something that they hadn’t done since Kakashi had taken them all on their dates. They had all just started sleeping in Kakashi’s bed because it was the biggest. 

Everyone had been in their rooms for an hour, but Kakashi still hadn’t fallen asleep. He was worried about Tenzo. He needed to see the man, to hold him. Maybe if he just went to check on the younger man he would be able to sleep. It was worth a shot. 

Kakashi got out of bed and walked down the hall. He stopped with his hand outstretched to the door handle. What if he woke him? He didn’t want that. Maybe he should just return to his room. As Kakashi turned to head back to his room, Tenzo’s door opened. Kakashi met Tenzo’s gaze. Tenzo stepped aside and let Kakashi into the room. 

Kakashi took a few steps in to stop in the middle of the room. He turned to find Tenzo right behind him. Tenzo reached up grabbing Kakashi’s face with both hands. He pulled the taller man down and crashed his lips to his. Kakashi responded immediately. He pulled Tenzo close to him, mindful of their wounds. When they broke apart, Tenzo rested his forehead to Kakashi’s for a breath. Then Kakashi started to kiss along his jaw and down his neck.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again. When you flickered us away, I tried to go back. But I didn’t have enough magic left. And Iruka wouldn’t take me. I was so- so scared. Shisui had already used so much of his magic and that damn creature was fast! I wasn’t sure you two were coming back.” Tenzo finished in a whisper. 

“I’m right here, Tenzo. Shisui is in his room. Iruka is in his room. Everyone is okay. We all made it out. You don’t need to worry anymore.” Between each sentence, Kakashi placed an open mouth kiss to Tenzo’s neck. 

The younger man relaxed more and more with each kiss that was placed. By the end, Kakashi was supporting his weight, not that he minded. Kakashi slowly moved them towards Tenzo’s bed. Gently laying him down, Kakashi hovered over Tenzo, supporting his weight on his noninjured arm. 

He dove down, capturing Tenzo’s lips again. Tenzo gave a short fight for dominance before giving in and letting Kakashi take control. Kakashi felt Tenzo’s growing erection against his thigh. Just because he couldn’t hold himself up on his other arm, didn’t mean that he couldn’t use it. He reached down between them, rubbing Tenzo through his sleep pants. 

Tenzo moaned into their kiss. The noise set Kakashi on fire. He wanted to hear it again. He bit Tenzo’s lower lip while squeezing Tenzo. This moan was louder and Kakashi ate it up. 

Kakashi kissed down Tenzo’s neck as he pulled down his pajamas. Kakashi gently ran his hand up the length and Tenzo’s eyes fell closed as he moaned loudly. Kakashi was vaguely worried about the others' hearing but decided that he didn’t care. 

He moved so his thumb was tracing over the tip as he kissed Tenzo deeply. Tenzo’s arms wrapped around Kakashi’s neck, ending tangled in his hair. Kakashi circled the head of Tenzo’s erection a few more times before pumping his hand slowly down the shaft. Tenzo’s hips bucked up into his hand and Kakashi smiled. He continued with his slow pace much to Tenzo’s displeasure.

“Senpai. Kashi, please,” Tenzo moaned out. 

It was the most beautiful thing Kakashi had ever heard. Hearing his name leave Tenzo’s lips like that drove him wild. He gave Tenzo a squeeze before picking up his pace. He latched onto his neck, sucking until several small bruises had formed. 

Tenzo’s hips moved on their own accord as he moaned Kakashi’s name again, finishing onto his hand. Kakashi worked him through it, kissing him the whole time. Tenzo gasped for breath, smiling broadly up at Kakashi. Kakashi pecked his lips one last time before moving to get a towel to clean Tenzo up. 

Once Tenzo was cleaned and redressed, Kakashi checked his wounds, making sure he hadn’t torn his stitches. Tsunade would kill them if they ruined her handy work. With no reopened injuries, Kakashi laid down next to Tenzo. The younger man carefully wedged himself up against Kakashi, snuggling against his chest. They were both very aware of the other’s wounds and moved accordingly. 

It was like that that they fell asleep, curled up together, smiling and happy. 

A few hours later, Kakashi heard someone rummaging through the house. He heard footsteps go down to his room. Moving Tenzo slowly so he didn’t hurt him or wake him, Kakashi walked to the door. 

“Senpai?”

He should have known Tenzo would wake up. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the sleepy boy. 

“Go back to sleep Tenzo. Everything’s okay.” 

Kakashi must have not been convincing because Tenzo climbed out of bed and walked to him. Stepping into the hallway, he saw that Iruka and Shisui were also standing in their doorways, looking very sleepy and confused. Shisui snapped awake when he saw Kakashi walking out of Tenzo’s room. He smirked when he saw Tenzo’s neck.

“What have you two been up to?” He asked with raised eyebrows. 

Tenzo blushed, looking down. Kakashi chuckled, about to answer, when someone emerged from his room.

“Damn it, Kakashi. I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Asuma exclaimed as he walked up to the four of them. 

“What’s wrong? Is Gai okay?” 

Kakashi was suddenly very worried. Asuma gave a tense smile. 

“He’s transforming. Tsunade is helping him through it. She thinks he’s going to make it. But I thought you would want to be there.” 

Kakashi nodded, quickly moving past Asuma into his room to throw on some other clothes. When he returned to the hallway, he found that his familiars had done the same. They all followed Asuma to the medical building. Walking in they all heard shouts of pain. Kakashi made sure to school his expressions even though hearing his friend in so much pain was hurting him. 

When they walked into the lower level, they saw that Tsunade had moved Gai onto a pile of blankets on the floor. There were buckets of water surrounding him along with several vials containing different colored liquids. Tsunade was on the floor wiping Gai’s face with a towel. She looked up when they entered, motioning for Kakashi to come forward. He was at Gai’s side in an instant. 

“You’re going to be okay, Gai. You are doing great,” Kakashi muttered more to himself than anything else. 

He knew that this was the truly dangerous part. This was the most likely point for Gai’s body to give out. If he could fully transfer into a werewolf, then he would make it. But getting to that point was a slow, painful process. 

Gai screamed at his arm snapped in a way that is was not normally able to. His fingers followed shortly after. Then his lower leg, toes, and other arm. It was slow going. Tsunade had to wake him up with potions on several occasions after he passed out from the pain. She was giving him as many pain potions as she could without numbing his whole body. If he was completely numb, he wouldn’t be able to shift correctly. 

After what Kakashi estimated to be six hours, Gai finally finished. He had made it. Laying on the mound of blankets before them was a dark brown werewolf, panting. Kakashi hesitantly placed a hand on Gai’s shoulder. He let out a small whine. 

“It’s okay, Gai. It’s over. You did it. You are going to be fine.”

With that, the new werewolf passed out, body changing back on its own. And this time, Tsunade let him sleep.

Kakashi and Asuma helped move Gai from the floor onto the bed. Tsunade took his vitals. Once she was satisfied, she led them all upstairs. 

“He will be fine. He will more than likely sleep most of the next day. But after that, he will be back to normal. Now go home, all of you. You look like crap.” 

They all thanked the wonderful woman for all her help and went home. Kakashi didn’t object when the three familiars followed him into his room or when they climbed into his bed. They were all gentle. And really, Kakashi didn’t want to be away from them.

This time when they fell asleep, they weren’t awoken until the morning sun poked through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka discovers something strange. Kakashi makes a plan to fix it. But is it a really good plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto Fantasy Week - Day 3 Prompt - Cursed Magic/ Old Gods --Part 1

After the incident with Gai, Kakashi had decided that he had taken enough time off and took his responsibilities back from Asuma. Asuma was more than happy to back to his easy life of keeping Kakashi inline instead of doing all his work. 

Kakashi and Tsunade were working with Gai to adjust to his new lifestyle. He was no longer able to do magic and he was devastated by that at first. But when Tsunade informed him that he still had his magic within him, he perked up. While he wasn’t able to conjure his magic to use it, Tsunade was able to transfer the majority of it to his familiar, Genma. 

Shisui was more than happy to work with Genma to help the man learn how to harness his new magic. Genma was a fast learner and Shisui enjoyed having someone else like him. 

Gai was getting progressively better at shifting at will. While he felt the pull of the moon, he was able to control it for the most part. He still had slight issues when the moon was full or close to it. But with Gai being the man he is, he saw it as a personal challenge and didn’t let it discourage him. 

***

Weeks passed. All was well.

Kakashi’s relationship with each of his familiars was progressing. They spent as much time together as possible. While they all loved being together as a group, Kakashi made sure to spend a little alone time with each of them, along with making sure they each had their own personal alone time. 

He went to the library with Iruka several times. Kakashi learned that Iruka spent many hours there on his own. He was able to find books without the use of the ledger. He had also made friends with the fairies that resided there. They saw how he cared for the books and had started leaving him books they thought he would like. In return, he left them shiny things he found around the village. 

On one occasion they even ran into his father who was searching for a book on divination. Iruka walked right to the section and helped him find the book that fit his needs the best. Sakumo was very impressed with how well the younger man knew the library. After spending some time with them, Sakumo was enthralled with Iruka’s knowledge. It seemed he knew something about everything. It was easy to see that he approved of Kakashi’s relationship with the other man. It wouldn’t have deterred Kakashi if he hadn’t, but it was a pleasant bonus. Kakashi had promised to bring the other two soon so he could meet them as well. 

Tenzo spent much of his time with the woodworker. They got along splendidly. Sometimes Kakashi would bring his paperwork there so he could watch Tenzo work while he read the borning documents. Admittedly, he didn’t get much done these days. But it didn’t stop him. He loved watching Tenzo work. He hummed a soft melody when he was focusing intently. It was adorable. Not that Kakashi would ever tell the boy. The last time he had done that, he told Tenzo that the way he scrunched his nose when he was confused was cute. And he had been so embarrassed that he stopped doing it! Kakashi had explained that he wasn’t mocking him, but Tenzo had yet to do it again. 

Kakashi had helped Tenzo craft a new bedframe for their bed. Tenzo had put a piece of each of them in the carvings: foxes, crows, deer, paw prints, flowers, symbols from their magic. Kakashi had teared up when he saw the otter and raccoon. Those had been Rin and Obito’s animal forms. Tenzo placed them at the center of the footboard. It meant so much to him to know that his new familiars knew they were still a part of him, but they were okay with it.

Shisui and Genma had become fast friends, spending much of their time together. They were constantly trying to outdo the other with what spells they learned to do. There were a few times that Kakashi or Asuma had to do damage control. Once, Genma had made his vision black and white instead of enhancing it. Shisui had taken changed his sense of hearing so everything was flipped; loud things were quiet, quiet things were loud. They had both managed to mess up a spell so bad their hands fused together. That was a bit of a hassle to undo as neither man could remember what they said to do it. 

Kakashi had taken Shisui back to all of the places he showed him on their first date. Shisui loved each of them. His favorite was the pond. Kakashi had explained how he used an earth style magic to create a crater around a cave that had once been there. He then used a water style magic to fill it with fresh water. While the water looked murky, it was just a spell keeping others from seeing what was at the bottom. Walking right into the water, Kakashi held his hand out to Shisui. He took it without hesitation. Kakashi pulled him under the water and Shisui saw the cave. Once they got close to it Shisui realized that the cave wasn’t wet. Not the inside at least. They crossed the threshold and they weren’t wet either. Shisui stared in awe. Kakashi had submerged a cave and placed a ward on it to keep water out. They had their own hidden spot. More than a few kisses had been shared in that cave. On a couple of occasions, they got more carried away. 

***

Iruka was walking back from the library as the sun was setting. He had learned that the fairies had hidden all the clocks because they didn’t being alone. If a person didn’t know what time it was, then they didn’t know when to leave. However, once they realized how often Iruka was going to be there, they had started leaving a clock near him. It always appeared when he wasn’t looking and it was gone before he left. 

He was admiring the scenery around him. He was always looking for things to bring to his new fairy friends. But that is not what he found this time. Instead of something shiny, he found something black. 

A trail of black. All the vegetation was wilted and crumbling. If Iruka didn’t know better he would have said it was burned. But that wasn’t possible. Kakashi would have known if there was a fire in these woods. Especially so close to the village. 

He gently collected a plant, most of it crumbling at his contact. He then flickered to Kakashi’s office at the Hokage building. He normally walked everywhere, enjoying the slow pace much more. When he suddenly showed up in Kakashi’s office, the older man knew something was wrong. 

“Kashi, something is happening to the forest.” Iruka showed Kakashi the plant. “There is an area near the library that looks like this. Everything is black and dying. I don’t know what caused it.” 

Kakashi gaped at the other man. He jumped up, knocking the plant to the floor. Once it hit the floor, the plant turned into a pile of dust. Iruka just stared at it, confused as to why Kakashi would act this way. 

“Ruka! If you didn’t know what it was, then why did you touch it? It could be a curse!” 

Iruka paled. He hadn’t thought of that. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He started to panic. Thankfully Kakashi seemed to still have his head about him because Iruka couldn’t seem to move, let alone process a thought. Kakashi grabbed his other hand and flickered them to the medical building. Tsunade rolled her eyes when she saw them in the lobby. 

“What is it this time, Hatake?” 

Kakashi pulled Iruka to Tsunade. “He may have been infected by a curse.” 

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. “May have?” 

Kakashi just nodded. Iruka was still pale, his mind running wild. 

Sighing, Tsunade walked to an empty table and motioned for Iruka to hop up. She then scanned his body, looking for traces of a curse. She checked twice. 

“There’s nothing there. He’s fine.” She then walked away. She didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever that was. She had enough stress just in the medical building. 

Breathing for the first time since he saw Iruka, Kakashi crushed the other man to him. Iruka hugged him right back, eyes stinging with tears. Kakashi flickered them back to this office. He signaled the other two via the runestone. They would be here soon. Kakashi pulled Iruka into his lap on the couch in the corner. Iruka curled up instantly. They were both relieved that nothing had happened but were still shaken up at how easily things could have gone bad. 

Tenzo was the first to arrive. But Shisui was only seconds behind. When they both saw Iruka curled up on Kakashi’s lap, the smiles left their face. They didn’t know what was wrong, but they didn’t need to know right now. All that mattered at this moment was Iruka needed them. And they were by his side in an instant. 

They each sat on a side of Kakashi and wrapped their arms around the other two. Iruka’s shoulders started to shake gently and Kakashi felt his shirt get wet. No one commented on why Iruka was crying. No one spoke for a long time. 

When Iruka calmed down, Shisui pulled back enough to look Iruka in the face. “Ru, are you okay? What happened?”

Iruka nodded slowly. “I’m okay.” 

Kakashi answered the other question for him. “He found something happening to the land and brought some back to me. But not knowing what it was, I thought it might be a transferable curse. We kinda freaked out after that.”

“But he’s okay… Right?” Tenzo spoke for the first time since entering the room. 

Kakashi nodded, squeezing Iruka a little tighter. “Yes. Tsunade didn’t see anything wrong with him.” 

No one moved for a while longer, just enjoying the presence of the others. They just sat there, all piled together on the small couch. No one cared about anything other than the other three people sitting there with them. 

***

Kakashi flickered them all close to the area that Iruka described. Iruka remembered that he had been closer to the library than to the village. Kakashi got them very close to where Iruka had seen the black. They only had to walk a short distance. 

Seeing the black again made Iruka anxious. He didn’t like not knowing what it was. He didn’t like that it was so close to the library or the village. Kakashi leaned closer to the plants as did Shisui. When Shisui looked at Kakashi, he had his Sharingan activated. 

“I can’t see what is causing it. I see no runes or seals or anything.”

Kakashi grimaced. He hadn’t seen anything either. So what the hell was it? Looking at Tenzo, Kakashi saw him with his hands on the ground. His fingers were threaded into the dirt and grass. He stood up, looking grim. 

“I can see a mile in all directions and its everywhere. It’s only in small paths right now, like tendrils seeking something. But there are several different branches. They are all crossing each other, I can’t tell which way it’s coming from.” 

This was not good. Kakashi knew what needed to be done. He wasn’t exactly excited to do it though. Sighing, Kakashi stood up and dusted off his hands. Shisui stood by his side. 

“I know what we have to do. Meet me at my office. I need to go find Asuma and Gai.” 

He flickered away. Shisui and the others all grabbed hands and Shisui flickered them to the Hokage building, right outside of Kakashi’s office. 

“You are getting really good at that!” Iruka beamed. 

Shisui smiled almost shyly. “I’ve been practicing.”

Iruka kissed the other man on the cheek before walking into the office. Tenzo pulled Shisui to his side, placing a kiss on his forehead. They walked into the office with Tenzo’s arm around his shoulders and Shisui’s arm around Tenzo’s waist. 

They sat on the couch and waited. After ten or so minutes, Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai all flickered into the office. It seemed that they had been talking before the flicker because they were still talking after. 

“Are you sure this is the only way? Don’t you remember what happened last time?” Asuma was saying.

“Rival! You must do what you think is best! But you must do it smartly.” Gai exclaimed. 

That was the closest to something negative the three familiars had heard Gai say in all the time they had been at the village. They immediately knew that whatever Kakashi had planned would be...interesting. 

“We don’t have a choice. It’s everywhere and spreading. Fast. Soon it will be at the village and something tells me we don’t have the magic to keep it out. They are our only chance of getting a handle on this thing. If we can win their favor back, we might have a fighting chance,” the witch grumbled, almost helplessly. 

The tone of voice didn’t sit well with the familiars. They didn’t like hearing him so defeated, even if they didn’t know why. Kakashi was digging through stacks of scrolls in his desk drawer. Glancing in, Iruka paled. How the hell did he ever find anything? It was a disaster in there! Sighing, he knew that he would have to fix it when they got this all figured out. 

Kakashi finally found what he was looking for. Unrolling the scroll on top of his desk, he stood up leaning over it. The others all gathered around the desk, looking at what seemed to be a crudely drawn map. There was a red X where the village was. The most detailed part of the map seemed to be mountain behind them. There was a green line winding up to the top. Kakashi pointed at it. 

“We will take this path up to the Temple of the Old Gods. It will be about a three-day journey up to the top. The four of us will go.” Kakashi looked at his familiars and then to Asuma and Gai. 

Shisui tilted his head in thought. “Kashi, why can’t we just flicker up there?”

His lips pulled tight in a grimace. “The temple can only be found without the use of magic. You could know exactly where it was going to be and never find it while flickering.” 

Tenzo’s eyebrows drew in. “What do you mean ‘know where it’s going to be’?” 

“This trail will only take us to the top of the mountain. Once there we have to traverse six miles to find the temple. It moves at the will of the Gods. They will know we are coming and will more than likely keep moving it so we can’t catch them. We aren’t exactly their favorite patrons.”

“What happened?” Iruka asked. 

“Since they are the Old Gods, they rarely get called upon. And that’s the way they like it. But when necessary, they are the most powerful beings so they can do just about anything. The last time they were called upon was by someone else in my clan. My father’s brother. His wife was ill and the healers could do nothing to stop it. To gain the favor of the Old Gods, one has to pass a test. The test is different for everyone. If you pass, then they see you as worthy and will grant your request, within reason. There are still limits. But fail the test and you are disgraced. My uncle did not pass and tried to fight the Gods, demanding that they do his bidding and save his wife. She eventually got better, but he never came off the mountain. Just a bird with a note saying the entire Hatake Clan had been disgraced.”

The three younger boys took a minute to process the story.

“They disgraced the whole clan? Not just his coven?” Shisui questioned. 

Kakashi nodded. “They wanted to send a message. They didn’t think the severity of the situation would be understood unless it was the whole clan. That was years ago. I was 8. We haven’t tried contacting them since.” 

“Let’s hope that they take mercy on us. If this thing is as bad as you say it is, we will need a miracle and they are the closest thing,” Asuma said. 

Everyone nodded. They discussed a little more of their plan. They would leave tomorrow morning. Asuma and Gai would be in charge until they came back. If they came back. With the plan in place, they decided to call it a night. As everyone was leaving, Kakashi pulled Asuma back. 

“If we aren’t back in 10 days, get everyone into the library. Send word to my father and the others. The library has enough expansions that it should hold the entire clan no problem. That should buy you guys some time to figure out what the hell to do next,” Kakashi looked into his eyes as he spoke. 

Asuma could tell how serious he was being. He knew how important his village, his clan was to Kakashi. Asuma nodded. He knew that he would be able to get word to all the Hokages of the Hatake Clan via the library. He had only ever been there once. Kakashi had keyed into the wards for emergencies.

In the very back right corner of the building, there was a hidden room. In the room were birds formed with magic. If released, those birds flew nonstop to the coven leader they had been assigned. All the Hokages knew that if you received the bird to get to the library, no questions asked. If the bird was in hues of red, they were to take their whole coven. 

“I understand. But, Kakashi, nothing is going to happen to you. You will be home in 8 days with a solution. There will be no need to release the birds.” Asuma clapped Kakashi on the shoulder reassuringly. 

Kakashi nodded and smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He sure hoped Asuma was right. 

He went home to his boyfriends. They had all started packing and he did the same. Kakashi had explained that they would more than likely hit all the seasons on this trip because the Gods had placed many spells on the mountain to keep people off it. So they packed different types of clothes. 

They were mindful of what each was bringing and tried to keep from brings duplicates or unnecessary items. Kakashi showed them his travel scrolls which he had spelled to hold certain items so travel was easier. But each scroll could only be accessed a certain number of times, so they still needed to carry certain things, like their clothes, which they would be using more often. He had scrolls that could be accessed once, others that could be accessed 8 times, and a few in between.

Iruka and Tenzo went to the kitchen with two scrolls to gather their food. Kakashi and Shisui flickered over to to the armory beneath his office with three other scrolls. They gathered vials of different potions, weapons, and armor. They placed them in Kakashi’s scrolls that could be the most accessed. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to use any of it, which is why they were putting it into the scrolls. But if they did need it, they would need to put it back. 

Once the scrolls were filled and packed away, they all climbed into bed. Piling on top of each other, they snuggled close. Each was trying to forget about the challenges they would face in just a few hours. They wanted to just enjoy the quiet company of their partners for a while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to lessen any confusion:  
> A coven is what Kakashi is in charge of. He is Hokage of his village.   
> A clan is what Kakashi's family is. Every coven is a smaller part of a large clan.   
> Hope that clears up any confusion you might have!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team starts their journey to the top of the mountain. What will they find?

Kakashi woke before the sun. He sighed. He was not looking forward to this journey. At best, they were looking at passing the tests that the Gods gave them with who knows what kind of personal damage done. And at worst, they wouldn’t return. Not alive at least. 

He slowly wiggled his way out of the tangle of limbs, careful not to wake anyone. He wandered into the kitchen to make some coffee. He was staring out the window above the counter into the blackness when he heard footsteps down the hall. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Shisui. 

Kakashi couldn’t help the smile that seeing the sleepy man caused. Shisui’s hair was sticking up in all different directions. His sleep pants were wrinkled and low on his hips. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes before his gaze landed on Kakashi. Shisui walked to where Kakashi was standing and wrapped his arms around him from behind. 

“Kashi. Why are you up so early?” His voice was still thick with sleep and Kakashi thought it was adorable. He placed his hands over Shisui’s, keeping them in place around his waist.

“I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you. You should go back to sleep.” Even as he said it, his grip on Shisui tightened. 

Faster than Kakashi could blink, Shisui had him turned around with his back into the counter. The dark-haired familiar was pressed against his front, staring into his eyes. Shisui knew how nervous Kakashi was. And he wanted to take his mind off of it for a while longer. Staring deeply into his eyes, Shisui leaned up and kissed Kakashi. It was like the kisses they shared in the cave; needy, wanting, lust-filled, longing, loving. All of it wrapped into one kiss. Kakashi melted into his embrace and Shisui smiled. 

Shisui’s hands moved to thread his fingers into Kakashi’s hair. He gave a firm tug. Kakashi growled into Shisui’s mouth and the other man ate it up. Kakashi was effectively distracted from the disaster ahead. But Shisui wasn’t done yet. Oh no, far from it. 

This time when he pulled his hair, Shisui dug his teeth into Kakashi’s lip. Kakashi grabbed Shisui’s thighs and hauled him up onto the counter, slotting himself in between his legs. Grinding against him, Kakashi broke their kiss to nip along Shisui’s jaw and down onto his neck. Luckily all of them slept shirtless so Kakashi continued down to his chest. He moved his fingertips up his thighs and across his abs, teasing. He was rewarded with the sweetest little whine escaping Shisui. 

“Now what are you going to do? With your plan both working and backfiring all at once?” Kakashi said between kisses. He looked up at Shisui with a dangerous glint in his eye. 

Shisui should have known that the witch would figure out his plan. But he didn’t have time to think about that. He was having a hard time thinking of anything with Kakashi rutting against him like that and running his hands all over his body. With great effort, Shisui flickered them to the couch. Kakashi laughed, catching himself just in time to not squish the smaller man under him. 

“Tell me what you want, Shi,” Kakashi breathed as he ran his nose along Shisui’s jaw.

“You,” Shisui moaned.

He grabbed Kakashi’s head and smashed their mouths together. Kakashi smirked into the kiss, running one hand down Shisui’s body. He ran his fingers along the waistband of his sleep pants, tickling the skin there. Shisui squirmed. 

“Kashi.” Shisui tried to sound firm, but it came out as more pleading. 

Kakashi pulled back, tilting his head to the side. “Yes?” 

“That tickles.”

“I know,” Kakashi said, continuing.

Shisui grumbled under his breath. Then he smiled broadly. He raked his nails down Kakashi’s back. Not enough to draw blood, but there would definitely be marks for a while. Kakashi arched into the feeling, groaning. When he looked back down, Shisui gulped. Kakashi had a glint in his eyes. Shisui had only seen it once before. And wondrous things had followed. He had no idea that this would be even better than that.

Kakashi still had yet to have sex with any of his boyfriends. They had all done stuff before, sure. But none had taken that step. He knew for a fact that they all had sex with each other, having walked in on it a few times, which may or may not have been an accident. He had been the closest with Shisui out of the three. He thought they might be ready to take that step. And he was prepared. 

It had been a few days since they had been to the cave which gave Kakashi the perfect time to put his plan in action. While he was hoping to finish it this weekend, now seemed like a good time. He wrapped his arms around Shisui, kissing him deeply, and flickered them to the cave. He quickly made the hand movements to light the cave and then to leave a note for the other two familiars.

Shisui pulled away from the kiss, confused by the sudden flicker. Looking around he realized they were in their cave. He separated from Kakashi, taking several steps into the cave to look around. He saw a large pile of blankets and pillows off to the side and candles. Hundreds of candles. But what really surprised him was that the cave now had a stream running through it. The water was enchanted to glow a bright blue. It reflected off the walls of the cave making everything awash in light. Shisui couldn’t help but stare in awe. Looking back at Kakashi, the older man looked very unsure of himself. Shisui had never seen him like this. 

Kakashi was still standing in the mouth of the cave where he had flickered them in. He was fiddling with his hands and looking down. When he felt Shisui’s eyes on him, he looked up. There was a deep blush running across his face and down his neck. Shisui walked over to him grasping his face firmly. He then placed such a gentle kiss on his lips Kakashi wasn’t sure it was actually happening. He pulled Shisui closer to him.

Shisui pulled away first resting his forehead on Kakashi’s. “When did you do this?”

“I was planning on surprising you this weekend. But I figured with everything happening…” Kakashi trailed off. 

“It’s beautiful, Kakashi. I love it.” Shisui placed another kiss on his lips. 

Then they were on the pile of blankets. Shisui was straddling Kakashi’s hips, pinning him down with his upper body as they kissed again. Shisui worked his way down Kakashi’s shirtless body, licking and kissing as he went. When he made it down to the top of Kakashi’s pants, he quickly rid the man of them. He placed a gentle kiss to Kakashi’s stomach before moving to swallow him whole. 

Kakashi’s hands moved on their own accord, weaving their way into Shisui’s hair. He wasn’t sure if he was pushing the other man away or pulling him closer. All he knew was the man was a god with that tongue of his. Shisui pulled back to run said tongue along the length before sucking the tip. Kakashi groaned, his hips bucking up. Shisui took it with ease, letting the full length slide back into his mouth. He picked up his pace, bobbing his head with enthusiasm. Kakashi moaned loudly as he reached his orgasm with little warning. 

Shisui pulled back, licking his lips. He smirked as he crawled back up Kakashi’s body, making sure to sway his ass in the process. Kakashi’s hands landed on his hips as he leaned down to kiss him. Kakashi pulled Shisui’s hips to grind down on his own. Shisui moaned against his lips. Kakashi flipped them over and continued to grind down onto Shisui.

Kissing Shisui like his life depended on it, Kakashi removed the clothes that were still separating him. He trailed his hand back up Shisui’s thigh until he reached the base of Shisui’s erection. Wrapping his fingers around it loosely, he slid up and down a few times. The light touch was driving Shisui crazy and Kakashi loved it. 

He kept his grip loose and slow as he reached down with his other hand. He traced a finger slowly over Shisui’s hole. Shisui moaned and pushed his hips into Kakashi’s hand. He kept moving his finger back and forth, just driving Shisui crazy. 

“Shi.”

Shisui looked at Kakashi with hooded eyes. He licked his lips and Kakashi bit back a groan. He needed to focus. 

“Shi, I was hoping - if you wanted to - we don’t have to - I mean-“ Kakashi stammered, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. Goddamn it, why was this so hard?

The younger man leaned up and kissed the witch above him, effectively shutting him up. 

“Kashi, I’ve wanted you since we first met. I’m a lover, it’s in my bones, in my blood. I knew once I felt that pull to you that I wanted to be with you forever, in every way possible. Please.” 

Kakashi was stunned by this confession. He had known that Shisui liked him and wanted to be with him. But he didn’t know that the man felt the same way he did. Kakashi leaned his forehead against the others. 

“I love you, Shisui. I don’t care if we haven’t known each other all that long. What I feel for you is real. I love you.” 

“Say it again,” Shisui whispered. 

Kakashi pulled back and saw tears in Shisui’s eyes. 

“I love you.” He placed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I love you. I love you.”

Shisui pulled his lips back down to his. Kakashi kisses him fiercely. So happy to finally have said it. So happy to finally have it out in the open.

“I love you too, Kashi.” 

They continued to kiss for several moments. Until Shisui started to grind up into Kakashi. Kakashi took this as a sign to continue what he was doing earlier. He moved his finger back to Shisui’s hole, applying more pressure than before. 

They had done this before. Shisui often asked Kakashi to finger him. But they had only ever done one finger. And if they were going to do what they both had in mind, they would need to do a lot more than that. 

Kakashi pulled a small vial of lube from under the pillow Shisui was laying on. He covered his fingers and moved back to his teasing. He slowly slipped his index finger in and Shisui moaned. Pushing in to the knuckle, Kakashi paused, letting Shisui get comfortable. 

Shisui nodded and Kakashi started to slowly pump his finger in and out. Shisui continued to release a steady stream of little sounds that were music to Kakashi’s ears. Once Shisui started to move his hips in time with Kakashi’s fingers, Kakashi decided it was time to add another finger. 

He pulled his finger almost out and aligned another. Pushing back in with now two fingers, Kakashi was prepared to wait for Shisui to get used to it again. Instead, he was happily surprised when Shisui gasped and his hips jerked up until Kakashi’s fingers were settled in deep. Kakashi smiled as he began to curl his fingers inside of Shisui. Shisui cried out as Kakashi found his prostate. He then began sliding his fingers in and out, making sure to hit that spot each time. 

Shisui was a moaning mess. His hands were fists in the blankets. His head was thrown back, mouth open, with the most beautiful blush covering his cheeks. He moved his hips to meet Kakashi’s thrusts like it was his job. Shisui’s erection stood proud against his stomach, untouched, and leaking. Kakashi loved seeing him like this and vowed to see it many times in the future. 

Deeming the younger boy ready, Kakashi repeated the process of adding another finger, this time adding a little more lube from the vial. He wanted to make sure that Shisui wasn’t experiencing any pain during this. As the third finger settled in, Kakashi stroked his prostate again. He didn’t let up until Shisui was wailing. 

“Please. Kashi, can’t take much more. Please. Need you.” 

Shisui looked up at Kakashi with lust-filled eyes. Kakashi growled at the sight. He leaned down to capture Shisui in a kiss. When they separated, Kakashi poured some lube onto himself, giving himself a few strokes to make sure he was covered. Again, no pain here. Lining himself up at Shisui’s hole, he pulled Shisui’s legs up until they were wrapped around his waist. 

Bracing himself on his forearms, he pressed their upper bodies together. Kakashi kissed Shisui again as he slowly eased himself in, making sure to go slow. Shisui broke the kiss to let out a loud moan as Kakashi continued to push forward. Once he was in to the hilt, he stilled, waiting. After a few moments, Shisui started to rock his hips upward. Kakashi took this as his sign to move. He slowly pulled back halfway and pushed forward again. He did this a few times before picking up the pace. He didn’t go fast. He didn’t want their first time to be rushed. He wanted it to be filled with love. But he did find a moderate pace and stuck with it. He used one hand to brush the hair from Shisui’s eyes, causing the other man to look at him. 

“I love you,” Kakashi whispered down to him. Then he bit his neck, sucking gently on it after.

It caused Shisui to jerk his hips. “More. Please Kashi. I need more.”

Kakashi was happy to oblige. He was getting close to the edge himself and he wanted Shisui there with him. He moved faster and moved a hand down to pump Shisui in time with his thrusts. Shisui’s hands flew to his back, grasping and clawing. He was close. Kakashi smiled. He thought he enjoyed seeing his familiar in pleasure earlier. This was even better. Seeing him like this was going to throw him over the edge. 

“Cum for me, Shi. Cum with me.” He spoke softly into Shisui’s ear. 

The tenderness of Kakashi’s voice is what set him off. He cried out as white streams shot up his stomach and chest. Kakashi groaned loudly as Shisui squeezed him tightly, finding his own end. He continued to stroke Shisui as he came down. They were both breathing heavily as Kakashi pulled back enough to meet Shisui’s gaze. He was smiling and it brought a smile to Kakashi’s face too. He placed a gentle kiss on his lips. 

Kakashi pulled out and moved to the side, pulling Shisui over to him. Shisui snuggled up against him. They laid there in silence, trying not to think about what was to come. After what felt like simultaneously forever and no time at all, they both knew it was time for them to get up. Kakashi sighed as he moved to the stream, wetting a cloth. He returned to Shisui and helped him clean up. He made sure to be thorough yet gentle. He placed kisses along Shisui's body he cleaned.

Once they were both clean and dressed, they hugged. No words needed to be said. They both knew how they felt and nothing would change that. They loved each other and Tenzo and Iruka. And after this journey, everything would be right again. They could be happy, together. Kakashi flickered them out of the cave. 

Looking around, they saw the black had spread. Their cave was safe with all its ward. Safe for now anyways. Sighing, Kakashi looked to Shisui. He had a determined look in his eye. 

“We will fix it, Kashi.”

Kakashi nodded, feeling as determined as Shisui. Yes. They would fix his forest. 

He flickered them home. 

***

When they returned home, Tenzo and Iruka were still asleep. They were curled up together and looked rather cute. Kakashi hated waking them, but the sun was rising and they needed to start their trip.

As Kakashi stepped into the room, he saw Iruka open an eye and peer up at him. So he wasn’t sleeping. Iruka gently sat up, letting Tenzo sleep a little longer. He gave Kakashi a questioning look, then Shisui walked in. Kakashi turned to look at him and heard Iruka inhale slightly louder than normal. When he turned back, Iruka’s eyes were flickering between his bare torso and Shisui’s neck. Iruka smirked. 

“I was going to ask where you two were but I don’t think I need to.”

Kakashi blushed, almost as deeply as Shisui. Iruka burst out laughing. The sound made Tenzo rollover.

“So, how was it?” Iruka wiggled his eyebrows at Shisui and bit his lip.

Shisui smirked coyly. “Amazing,” he said in a sing-song voice. 

“What was amazing?” Tenzo sat up, rubbing his eyes. He had obviously not seen the other two men. When he did look over at them, he squeaked, his face went red and he looked away. 

Kakashi chuckled at his adorable familiar. He walked over and kissed the side of his head, before leaning down to his ear. 

“Don’t worry, Tenzo. It will be your turn soon,” he whispered so only Tenzo could hear. 

Tenzo’s eyes widened. He jumped out of bed and scurried down the hall to the bathroom. At the door slamming shut, Kakashi roared with laughter. 

The four of them quickly got dressed and finished packing. They walked through the village, which had yet to wake up. As they made it to the end of the village, they saw Gai and Asuma waiting for them. Gai, of course, hugged everyone and wished them well on their magnificent journey. Asuma nodded at each man, giving a small smile. Kakashi and his familiars shared a look then continued out of the wards. 

***

They had been walking for four hours and it was starting to get cold. They were entering the winter zone of the mountain. It was rumored that this was the largest zone on the mountain. It was also the worst. They continued on another hour before Kakashi saw Tenzo shivering. There was snow on the ground now and the long sleeve shirts they were wearing were no longer enough for Tenzo. He was the smallest of them after all. Kakashi pulled a sweater out of his pack and handed it over to Tenzo. 

The younger boy smiled gratefully and pulled it over his head. He pulled the collar up, taking a deep breath and sighing. It smelled like Kakashi. Kakashi smiled and Tenzo blushed at having been caught. He walked a bit faster to fall in step with Shisui and Iruka who were happily talking away. Kakashi made no move to join them. Instead, he stayed back and observed his happy familiars. Eventually, Iruka fell back to join him. He linked his hand with Kakashi’s, not saying anything. They walked like that for a long while. 

It wasn’t long before they had to stop to all readdress what they were wearing. The snow was becoming higher, thicker. They changed into more sturdy boots and layered on their clothing. While they were stopped, they also pulled some ration bars from one of the scrolls, eating as they continued walking. 

They continued walking until the sun started to set. It was starting to get windy and they wanted to find shelter before it got too unbearably cold. Unfortunately, this part of the mountain was bare. Kakashi was able to construct a cave with the help of Tenzo. While practicing with their magics, they had found that Tenzo was good with earth style magics. 

The cave was smaller than the one at the bottom of the lake back at the village. Since they wouldn’t be spending a significant amount of time there, Kakashi just made a simple bare cave. He made it tall enough that no one had to duck. He made it wide enough that they could all lay side by side with a foot on each side of them. 

Shisui helped him put up the protection wards while Tenzo and Iruka unpacked their bedrolls and got a fire started. They all settled around the fire, letting the heat sap the cold from their bones. 

“We are about half of the way up. It will probably get much worse before it gets better. Tomorrow we should make it to the top before nightfall. We will camp and start our search the next day. Hopefully, it should only take a day or two to track down the Gods.”

The three familiars nodded, continuing to eat their dinner. Even though they had protective wards surrounding them and they were in the middle of nowhere on a mountain, they decided to take turns watching over the cave while the others slept. Kakashi, of course, offered to be first. Shisui leaned close and kissed Kakashi, whispering “I love you” before he kissed the other two familiars. He then retreated to his bedroll. Tenzo also kissed Kakashi before kissing Iruka. He kissed Shisui as he crawled in beside him, ignoring his own bed. Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head and turning his attention back to the fire. He tossed a few more sticks on, ensuring it would continue to keep them warm. Turning, he saw Iruka still sitting by the fire. He walked over and sat down next to him. 

“Aren’t you going to bed? We still have a lot of traveling to do. You should get some sleep.” Kakashi said softly as to not disturb the other two, who happened to already be asleep.

Iruka leaned his head on Kakashi’s shoulder and sighed. “I just wanted to spend a little time with you.”

Kakashi smiled. He loved when Iruka was this relaxed. Normally, as the oldest familiar, he was trying to wrangle the other two. But here and now, he was completely at ease. It was a rare sight outside of the library. He slid an arm around Iruka’s waist, pulling the smaller man into his side. They stayed like that for a long while, just enjoying the crackling of the fire and the warmth of each other. 

Iruka was finally convinced to go to sleep when Kakashi had to put more wood on the fire. Kakashi just sat and watched his familiars after that. His heart was so full of love for these three men. After he lost Obito and Rin, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. But these three had wiggled their way int his heart so fast that it left him breathless. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

After a few hours, he woke Shisui for the next watch as they had agreed. Kakashi went and settled in between Iruka and Tenzo. Instantly, both moved to his side. He chuckled lightly as he wrapped an arm around each. Several hours later, Shisui woke Tenzo. Tenzo kissed Kakashi’s temple before moving so Shisui could take his place. Tenzo woke Iruka for the last shift, later than they agreed upon as he knew that Iruka had stayed up with Kakashi. He wanted to make sure the fox familiar got enough sleep. Iruka kissed Tenzo deeply once he realized what the other man did. Tenzo smiled and then wormed his way in between Kakashi and Shisui. Both snuggled close to him. Iruka wished he could take a picture because damn, that was adorable. 

***

Kakashi was right. It definitely got worse as they made their way up the mountain. They faced a large amount of sleet, gusts of wind that nearly toppled them, patches of 3-foot snowdrifts. They even almost got taken out by an avalanche. It was exactly the sort of weather that would make someone want to give up on their trek. But they all knew that they needed to do this for the coven, for the clan, for the world. 

After several hours of trekking through the terrible conditions and many stops to switch to dry clothes and warm limbs, the snow finally started to thin. It was slow at first, hardly noticeable. But then almost all at once, the snow was gone. It was suddenly very hot. The four men quickly shed their winter gear, very happy to do so. Dressed in more appropriate clothing, they continued. Kakashi estimated that they had a few more hours to the top. They would make it there just before nightfall. 

The rest of the journey to the top wasn’t nearly as bad as the first part. The hot was much more favorable to the cold. Soon the sweltering heat turned into a nice spring climate. They were nearing the top now. Kakashi explained that the top of the mountain was a gorgeous field of wildflowers as far as the eyes could see. It was supposed to be a sort of oasis for making it to the peak. 

While the sun was already starting to set, the view was breathtaking. Flowers of every shade and shape littered the vast space in front of them. There was a thin layer of woods around surrounding the vast field. They just stood, staring, taking it all in. The end couldn’t be seen in any direction in front of them. It was truly stunning.

Then it hit them, all at once. This field is what they would have to traverse to find the wondering temple. It seemed like an impossible task. They all deflated slightly. 

“We can do this. We know it’s possible. Plus, if we try enough, maybe the Gods will get tired of moving from us and just give in!” Shisui was ever the optimist. 

It helped though. The others smiled and mumbled their agreements. Hopeful it would be that easy. The rest of the night went similarly to the night before. A cave was created, wards were formed, dinner was cooked. Kakashi started watch, Iruka ended it. 

***

They were split into two teams: Kakashi and Tenzo, Iruka and Shisui. Shisui and Iruka went east while Tenzo and Kakashi went west. They agreed to search for six hours and then return to camp to regroup if they found nothing. Kakashi explained that legends said that you just needed to get within 100 feet of the temple for the Gods to not be able to leave. 

While magic couldn’t be used to find the temple, magic could be used to find the other members of their team. So if one team found the Gods, one member would walk a bit away and activate the runestone. The other team would then flicker to their position before making their way on foot to the temple. 

Both teams saw the temple in the distance several times. But by the time they were able to make it there, it was long done. They couldn’t figure out how it was moving. Was there a certain pattern? There was one time that Shisui was almost able to make it in time, but just as he was able to get in range, it disappeared. After two hours, the teams met back at their cave. They tried not to be discouraged. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Eating lunch seemed to get their spirits back on track. Switching the teams up, they decided to head back out with another time limit of six hours. That would put them back at the camp as the sun was setting. Searching during the night wasn’t necessary quite yet. 

Six hours later and another handful of sightings, the group was exhausted from spending so much time running around in the sun. Iruka and Kakashi had gotten the closest this time. While making dinner, they tried to come up with a game plan for tomorrow. 

“I watched it with my sharingan every time I saw it. There is some sort of pattern to its movements. But since I can’t see all of the movements I am unable to figure it out.”

Kakashi nodded. “I agree. There is a pattern but I don’t think we will be able to figure it out without the use of magic. I think we are better off just trying to happen across it. I know it sucks and will take a while, but I think it’s better than using magic too close and never being able to find it.”

The others agreed. It wasn’t ideal, but they would just have to chance upon it. They sat around the fire for a while longer, enjoying the simple pleasures of just being with each other. They rested easily through the night. 

***

They spent the next day searching. Like the previous day. They got closer than before, but still not close enough. It was frustrating. At sundown, they still hadn’t caught it. They all sulked back to their camp. Starting a fire and eating dinner seemed to raise spirits once more.

They all took turns telling stories from their past. Iruka told stories from the books he read. Tenzo shared about how he used to freak his friends out while as a fox. Kakashi recounted all the crazy challenges Gai came up with and everyone rolling on the ground laughing. Shisui’s stories of his past clan were very enlightening. While they were upset about not catching the temple and about the black and the threat it caused, it was nice to forget about it all. If only for a few hours. 

They went to bed well after the sun went down, all piled on top of each other. They had moved all their beds close to each other. They used a blanket that Kakashi pulled from a scroll and body heat to stay warm. It wasn’t terribly cold anyways. And they were all too happy to be able to sleep curled up into each other to care. 

They took turns with watch. And while no one said anything, each of them got the distinct feeling they were being watched. 

***

They were up as the sun crested over the horizon. Kakashi had a good feeling about today. Looking around he saw that his familiars all had looks of determination. They felt it too. They split in teams again. Kakashi and Shisui. Tenzo and Iruka. They set their six-hour limit and set out. 

Iruka spotted it first. It was closer today. He almost made it. But then it disappeared. He could swear he heard laughing. Grimacing, he tried to shake it off. 

“I’ll catch it next time,” he grumbled under his breath. 

Shisui had a few close calls. Kakashi had to admit, even without flickering, Shisui was insanely fast. Kakashi was even able to get close a time or two. When it was finally time to regroup and eat lunch, the four boys were exhausted. 

“It’s almost like the Gods are playing with us. I swear we saw it more than all of yesterday!” Iruka exclaimed as he threw his body across Tenzo’s lap. 

Tenzo chuckled and ran his hands through the other man’s hair. He was thinking the same thing.

“I agree,” Kakashi said. “I think they are trying to toy with us to make us discouraged.” He sighed. It was almost working. He didn’t know how long they could keep doing this. The black was spreading with no trajectory. Who knew how much it had spread while they were gone? 

“But it’s not going to work! We aren’t going anywhere! You might as well just step up and accept seeing us!” Shisui yelled into the field of flowers. 

The others couldn’t help but laugh as Shisui shook his fist in the air. He was adorable. They were all gathered around a small fire, talking, and eating sandwiches. Iruka looked up at Kakashi across the fire from him. He stopped midbite and dropped his sandwich. 

“What’s wrong with you, Ruka?” Shisui elbowed him. 

He looked at the brunette to find him staring behind Kakashi. When he looked to where Iruka was looking, he jumped up. Was this real?

Kakashi and Tenzo spun around, kunai drawn, ready for a fight. They were both very confused at what they saw. 

100 feet behind Kakashi was the temple. It was massive. How the hell did that thing move so quickly? 

Now that they were up close and not moving, they were able to see that the temple wasn’t on the ground. It was held up by what looked to be 12 legs. There was a small grass area surrounding the entire building that had a short white fence encasing it. There was a tall oak tree in the left corner surrounded by flowers. The building itself looked to be two stories with a metal-plated roof. The whole thing was black and white with red details. There was a set of huge red doors in the center facing them. 

As Kakashi took a step forward, the doors started to creak open. Instantly, Kakashi felt his familiars by his side. The doors opened to blackness. Kakashi strained to see anything, even with his sharingan activated. Then there were two figures walking out. 

They were dressed similarly, in formal robes. The one on the left was wearing white with olive green and red designs that resembled Xs. To his right, the man wore a robe of white with yellow and red in an almost flame-like design. They stopped a step over the threshold.

Kakashi and his familiars just stared. They didn’t know what to expect. But they knew that these were the Gods themselves. 

“Hatake, son of Sakumo,” the one on the left bellowed. 

Kakashi stepped forward immediately and dropped to a knee, looking at the ground. He heard the others behind him do the same from their position. 

“You have been shunned. You have been ignored. You have been evaded. Yet here you stand,” the one on the left spoke once more.

Kakashi continued to stare down, unmoving. 

The man on the right continued. “For three days, we have avoided your attempts at connecting with us. You have fought tirelessly. And as the crow stated, you seem to have no plans to leave any time soon.”

It was subtle, but they heard a smirk in his voice. 

“Step forward and enter if you dare. To see if you are worthy...” the left said.

“You may lose your life. Pass and you shall be seen,” the right continued.

“Your test starts now!” They finished together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! Things have been a bit crazy and I have had some writer's block. But fear not, I have a plan for how I want this story to go. It just may take a little while. I just accepted a new job where I will be working 12-hour long night shifts. But I will write as I can.
> 
> So who do you think the two Gods are? Any guesses? 
> 
> Comments make my day! Thoughts? Questions? Favorite part?


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